At its November 18, 2020 meeting, the City Commission approved a dual referral to the Land Use and Sustainability Committee (LUSC) and the Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee (FERC) to discuss the request from BHI Limited Miami Corporation to renovate their property, the Seagull Hotel, located at 100 21st Street.  The Property is an oceanfront parcel located on the south side of 21st  Street, consisting of an 8-story structure which was built in 1950 and designed by Miami Beach architect Albert Anis. 

The Applicant is proposing a major renovation of the existing, contributing structure, in order to accommodate a new hotel operator.  As part of this rehabilitation effort, the following has been proposed by the Seagull Hotel:

1. The vacation of the southern half of the 21st Street right-of-way (“ROW”) along the front of the Seagull Hotel property. This would enlarge the overall size of the development site and permit the aggregation of additional floor area (FAR). As a condition of the proposed vacation, the Developer would grant a perpetual, non-revocable easement in favor of the City, for the City’s continued use of the ROW, so that roadway access and circulation would not be affected.

2. Amendments to the Land Development Regulations (LDRs) pertaining to the development of the site, including setback and height requirements. 

Vacation of 21st Street:

The proposed vacation, including all associated appraisals and proposed public benefits, will be subject to the review of the FERC pursuant to Chapter 82 of the City Code. 

LDR Amendments:

The Administration has met with representatives of the Seagull Hotel regarding the proposed amendments to the LDRs that would apply to development on the site. The amendments would include changes to setback and height requirements applicable to the property. To date, a draft of the proposed LDR amendments has not been provided. 

City Charter Analysis:

The City Attorney’s Office is currently evaluating the applicability of City Charter Section 1.03, governing the disposition of City property, to the proposed vacation of the 21st Street ROW. The City Attorney and City Administration are continuing to study the information provided by the Developer as well as the history of the property. 

APPRAISAL

The Applicant has prepared an appraisal (Attached) of the market rate value of the ROW to be vacated. The City will be preparing its own appraisal at the Applicant’s expense and providing the results at an upcoming FERC Committee.

PUBLIC BENEFIT

In exchange for the vacation of the portion of 21st Street, the Applicant is proposing granting  the City a 25 feet wide perpetual roadway and pedestrian access easement across the vacated City ROW, as well as public benefits to be negotiated as part of the review of the application by the City.

Results from the 2019 Resident Survey regarding Satisfaction with Perceptions of the City show that 47% of residents rated City efforts to plan for growth as very satisfied/satisfied. In order to continue maintaining excellent standards in this area, the City will be reviewing the request from the Applicant to vacate a portion of the City's ROW.

As noted above, much more information regarding the details of this proposal would be required before staff can provide a formal recommendation.  As such, the Administration recommends that the FERC discuss the proposal, provide initial feedback, and continue the item to the the January 2021 meeting.